Weekend Box Office Report: March 16-18, 2018

The African superhero spectacle has now reached an extraordinary domestic total of $605.4 million after 31 days in theaters, prowling ever closer to the totals of THE AVENGERS ($623 million) and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ($619 million).

Opening in second place was the new action-adventure movie TOMB RAIDER with $23.5 million.

The latest big-screen version of the popular videogame series got off to a slower start than Angelina Jolie's LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, which opened to $47 million in 2001 before arriving at a domestic total of $131 million (still the highest domestic gross for a game adaptation) and $274 million worldwide.

The PG-13 reboot, now with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in the soiled tank-top, did come out ahead of the $21 million domestic opening of the 2003 Jolie sequel LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE.

The $94 million adaptation from director Roar Uthaug (THE WAVE) has also raided $102.5 million from international audiences for a worldwide total of $126 million.

In third place was the new PG-rated drama I CAN ONLY IMAGINE with an opening of $17 million.

Despite a lack of star power (Dennis Quaid is the most familiar face in the cast), the faith-based story behind the titular Christian pop song managed to rush past higher-profile releases for the strongest per-screen average in the Top 10, on a modest $7 million reported cost.

Director Ava DuVernay's adaptation of A WRINKLE IN TIME was in fourth place with $16.5 million, dropping by 50% from its opening last weekend. The $100 million sci-fi/fantasy has a ten-day domestic total of $61 million.

The new high-school romantic comedy LOVE, SIMON opened in fifth place with $11.5 million.

Directed by Greg Berlanti (the ringleader of the DC Comics TV "Arrowverse"), the adaptation of Becky Albertalli's novel cost a reported $17 million.

Most critics were enamored with the PG-13 coming-of-age tale, giving it an average of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review can be found HERE.

The family feature PETER RABBIT was in seventh with $5.2 million, finally hopping over $100 million domestic after a month and a half in theaters. The $50 million animated/live-action hybrid has a worldwide total of $145 million.

The horror sequel THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT was slaying in eighth with $4.8 million, slashed by 54% from last week's opening. The homicidal home invaders have a ten-day domestic total of $18.6 million (on a $5 million reported cost).

Closing out the list was Eli Roth's DEATH WISH update with $3.3 million, bringing the Bruce Willis action-drama to a domestic total of $29.9 million on its third weekend (nearly grossing its $30 million reported cost).